Chapter 7 #2
Kaleb Cross has been unemployed his whole life. His father died when he was thirteen years old and left him a fortune. He's lying.
"I... I've missed you so much," he says, taking a step closer to me.
I hold out my arm to keep him at a distance. "Kaleb, you need to leave. We've been over this before. We are not in a relationship."
Kaleb chuckles, sucking in a sharp breath. "God, you smell so good. I forgot how good you smell."
"Kaleb, you need to understand," I say firmly, trying to keep my voice steady. "We do not have a relationship. You need to leave me alone."
He shakes his head, his eyes clouding over with a mixture of confusion and determination. "But I love you, Safia. And you love me. I… I can't just leave. We haven’t seen each other in so long. You don’t want me to leave. I know you don’t."
"Kaleb, it's not healthy for you to be here," I insist, trying to maintain the boundaries I've set. "You need to move on with your life. We’ve talked about this. Have you been seeing Dr. Miller? I can—"
"I don’t need a doctor, Safia," he whispers, stepping closer. "I need you. Only you.”
"Kaleb, I'm going to leave now," I say, turning around, but his hand clamps down on my arm, stopping me in my tracks.
"No, don't leave me here, baby. I don't know anyone. You can’t invite me to a party and then just leave me all alone. I would never do that to you."
I try to rip my arm away, but his grip tightens. "Kaleb, let go of me!" I grunt, but he's stronger than he looks.
"Let’s just talk about this," Kaleb says, frowning. "Baby... Please. I just—"
"Stop it, Kaleb!" I hiss out, struggling to free myself. Maybe it’s time to file an official police report. “If you don’t let go, I’m going to—”
Animals are territorial by nature. They growl to warn intruders and assert their dominance over the space they claim as their own. Humans are simply animals that have evolved. Their instincts remain the same.
"She said let go."
Suddenly, Kaleb is on his knees, his arm twisted up as Kane hovers above him, nostrils flaring. The intensity in Kane's eyes is terrifying, and for a moment, I'm stunned into silence.
Kaleb whimpers. "Please, don't hurt me." He looks up at me. “Baby… He’s hurting me.”
“Kane…” Guilt washes over me. Kaleb is unwell. He needs professional help. He doesn’t deserve this. “Let… Let go of him.”
Kane's voice is low and dangerous. "Excuse me? He was—”
“Just let go, okay?” My fingertips tingle. “You’ll break his arm. You’ll—”
Unlike humans, animals don't have tempers; their aggressive displays are instinctual responses to threats rather than emotional outbursts. Kane twists Kaleb’s arm tighter until tears begin to well up in Kaleb's eyes, and then, like a switch, Kane releases his hold.
“Fuck this,” Kane spits, and storms off in a rage.
Kaleb stumbles to his feet, a look of sheer panic etched across his face as he runs in the opposite direction of Kane. My instincts kick in, demanding me to move. I glance both ways, my body making the decision for me, and I find myself chasing after Kane.
“Kane!” I yell, my voice cutting through the night air as he rushes out of the club. “Kane!” He doesn’t slow down. Frustration coils inside me, and I shout, “Theo!”
He comes to an immediate halt, his shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths.
“What the hell was that? You can’t just—” I pause, trying to catch my breath.
He spins around, his tone low and smoky. “He has no right to touch you like that. I heard you say stop. And he didn’t. You’re lucky there isn’t a bullet in his chest.”
My eyes widen in shock. “He’s unwell! He wasn’t going to hurt me. He just—”
Kane expels a heavy breath, his irritation evident. “You know him?”
I immediately regret opening my mouth. “I do…” I swallow hard. “He was a patient of mine.”
Kane’s gaze sharpens as he stalks toward me, forcing me back against the rough brick wall.
My breath catches in my throat.
“Tell me, Safia… why is a former patient of yours at your brother’s party? And why…” His features tighten. “And why was he touching you like that?”
“He…” I close my eyes, suffocating under the oaky, intoxicating scent of his cologne. “He thinks I love him.”
“He what?” Kane slams his fist into the wall, inches from my head. The force causes me to flinch. He cages me. Traps me. “He thinks you love him?”
“He likely has a condition…it’s not his fault…” God, he’s too close. Too fucking close to me. I can smell the whiskey on his lips. The subtle hint of smoke. “He…”
“Is he stalking you, Safia?”
I barely hear him. His voice is a whisper in the wind. I can’t hear a thing. Not a word. I can feel him, though. The warmth from his body radiates onto mine, and I shiver. I shiver from the heat. That shouldn’t happen. Fire shouldn’t make your body feel like ice.
“Not anymore.”
“Not anymore?” His expression darkens as he leans closer, his breath brushing against my skin. “Unless you invited this man tonight, I would beg to differ.”
“It’s fine.” My lungs struggle to perform their duty. “He’s harmless. It’s just a crush. He’s getting help. He’s—”
“Then why do you look so afraid, Safia?”
“I’m not afraid of him…”
“Is that so…” His gaze snaps to my lips, and the world seems to still. “Then what are you afraid of?”
Fear is the shadow of unseen threats. It's a primal echo of survival instincts buried deep within our psyche. Fear compels us to run.
Like humans, animals flee when they sense danger.
And tonight, we’re both animals.